Why doesn’t the unemployment rate ever reach zero? Economists, who generally believe that supply tends to meet demand, have long thought about this question．Even in good times, i．e．not now, there are people who can’t find work．And even in bad times, i．e．now, there are job openings．With over 14 million people out of work and looking for a job, you would think every available job would be filled．But that’s not the case．Not now and not ever．　　

On Monday, the Nobel Prize committee awarded the prize for economics to the three scholars who have done the most to explain this phenomenon．Two of the winners are Americans, Peter Diamond of MIT and Dale Mortensen of Northwestern．The third winner is Christopher Pissarides, who teaches at the London School of Economics and was born on Cyprus．　　

Like most of economics, what they have found about why the jobless and ready-employers don’t find each other seems obvious．You have to find out there is job opening you are interested in．Employers need to get resumes （简历）．It takes a while for both employers and employees to make the decision that this is what they want．And these guys came up with a frame-work to study the problem of why people stay unemployed longer than they should and what can be done about it．　　

So what would today’s Nobel Prize winners do to solve the current problem of the unemployed? And does the awarding of the prize contribute to the politicians’ lowering joblessness?　　

Speaking from his north London home, Pissarides told The Associated Press the announcement came as “a complete surprise” though his work had already helped shape thinking on both sides of the Atlantic．　　For example, the New Deal for Young People, a British government policy aimed at getting 18-24-year-olds back on the job market after long periods of unemployment, “is very much based on our work,” he said．　　

“One of the key things we found is that it is important to make sure that people do not stay unemployed too long so they don’t lose their feel for the labor force,” Pissarides told reporters in London．“The ways of dealing with this need not be expensive training – it could be as simple as providing work experience．”

1.According to the writer, which is true about finding jobs?　　  

A．It is always difficult to find a job．　　

B．Everyone can find a job in good times．　　                        

C．Contrary to popular belief, it is easier to find a job in bad times．　　              

D．It is possible to find a job even in times as bad as now．

2.What is it that leads to their winning the prize?　　                         

       A．They have found the reason for unemployment．　　           

       B．They have put forward a set of ideas to deal with unemployment．　　           

       C．They have found out why people don’t want to be employed．　　                

       D．They have long studied the problem of unemployment．

3.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?　　           

       A．Pissarides thinks his work surprising．　　                         

       B．The work of Pissarides has influenced many economists．　　                      

       C．Some of the winners’ ideas have been put into practice．　　

       D．It is probable that unemployed young people in Britain benefit from Pissarides’ work．

4.According to Pissarides, _________ is effective in dealing with unemployment．　　  A．spending large sums of money on training　　                    

       B．teaching some knowledge of economics　　                        

       C．providing work experience　　            

       D．keeping people unemployed for some time

 

One of the most difficult things for children to deal with when moving to a new town is leaving their friends and making new ones.
We once moved and one of our new neighbors told us about a summer camp at the Recreation Center all the kids went to. My husband and I looked into it and we found it was unbelievably cheap. I had the kids sign up (报名) the next day so that they could know more kids there.
Another thing we did was to have them sign up for sports when school started. They were happy to be on teams with new friends they made. This also gave me a chance to meet new people and from them I sometimes got some useful ideas for my new books.
If you’re just moving to a new house in the same city you live in now, it won’t really be a problem unless your kids are changing schools. If they are, it is a great idea to have them take the address book to school. Thus, your children won’t feel “lost” without their old friends.
If you’re able to, over the summer vacation, try inviting the friend your child misses most to come and visit your new home for a week, or even a few weeks. I know this can be difficult if that child has to fly, but maybe you can work out a plan with the child’s parents. Think how happy the kids will be when they meet!
【小题1】The author had her kids sign up for the summer camp mainly because _____.

A．she could afford the cost	B．she was asked to do so by her kids
C．it could give her kids a chance to meet more kids
D．it could make the summer holiday not so boring

【小题2】What is probably the author?

A．A housewife.

B．A business woman.

C．A teacher.

D．A writer.

【小题3】What we can’t learn from the passage is that ____. 

A．a summer camp at the Recreation Center was very cheap

B．having the kids take part in sports is good for both the author and her kids

C．parents should ask their children not to think of their old friends

D．parents should create more chances for children to make new friends

【小题4】The purpose of the passage is to teach parents how to ______ when they move to a new place. 

A．get used to the new life in a short time

B．help their children make new friends and keep the old ones

C．get along with their new neighbors

D．help their children get used to the new school life

Anne Whitney, a sophomore at Colorado State University, first had a problem taking tests when she began college.” I was always well prepared for my tests. Sometimes I studied for weeks before a test. Yet I would go in to take the test, only to find I could not answer the questions correctly. I would blank out because of nervousness and fear. I couldn't think of the answer. My low grades on the tests did not show what I knew to the teacher." Another student in microbiology had similar experiences. He said, “My first chemistry test was very difficult. Then, on the second test, I sat down to take it, and I was so nervous that I was shaking. My hands were moving up and down so quickly that it was hard to hold my pencil. I knew the material and I knew the answers. Yet I couldn't even write them down!”

These two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and is uneasy about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student can't write or think clearly because of the extreme tension and nervousness. Although poor grades are often a result of poor study habits, sometimes test anxiety causes the low grades. Recently, test anxiety had been recognized as a real problem, not just an excuse or a false explanation of lazy students.

Special university counseling courses try to help students. In these courses, counselors try to help students by teaching them how to manage test anxiety. At some universities, students take tests to measure their anxiety. If the tests show their anxiety is high, the students can take short courses to help them deal with their tension. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies. Students are trained to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work at ease . Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test.

An expert at the University of California explains. “With almost all students, relaxation and less stress are felt after taking our program. Most of them experience better control during their tests. Almost all have some improvement. With some, the improvement is very great.”

1．According to the writer, poor grades are mainly the result of _________.   

  A．test anxiety                                B．laziness

  C．lack of sleep                          D．inability to form good study habits

2．To deal with this problem, students are supposed to _________. 

  A．take a short course on anxiety     

  B．read about anxiety

  C．be able to manage or understand their anxiety

  D．take tests to prove they are not experiencing anxiety

3．An expert at the University of California said _________.  

  A．all students could overcome the anxiety after taking a special test program

  B．almost all students felt less stress after taking the counseling course

  C．students found it difficult to improve even though they had taken a special test

       D．students found it easy to relax as soon as they took the counseling course